News & Blog

Chinatown Parks Come Alive with Free, Outdoor Programming

April 10, 2017

Take a free fitness class, watch an outdoor movie and dine in the sunshine in Chinatown this summer as part of "Discover Chinatown Parks at 5th and Mass," a programming series created by a unique partnership between the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVT CID) and the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA).

For the first time, the three organizations are teaming up with a host of programming partners to provide free community programming in Chinatown Park and Milian Park (5th Street and Massachusetts Ave NW) from May through September of this year.

On Saturday, May 6, Discover Chinatown Parks will kick off in Milian Park celebrating the opening of the newly expanded FRESHFARM Mount Vernon Triangle Market with the annual Spring Fest in the Triangle event. There will be live music, free lemonade and popcorn, tastings from local restaurants, reusable market bag giveaways and free children’s games, crafts and face painting from 10am-Noon. The FRESHFARM Mount Vernon Triangle Market will be open from 10a.m.- 2p.m. every Saturday through October 28.

“We are excited to turn these underutilized neighborhood parks into fun, active, community destinations this spring and summer,” said DowntownDC BID Executive Director Neil O. Albert. "Our growing, shared community has identified these two parks as a place they would like to more easily enjoy, and we are going to make that happen this year."

“The confluence of these two important community parks provides the neighborhood with a unique opportunity to join with our partners at the DowntownDC BID and Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA),” said Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District President and CEO Kenyattah Robinson. “Together, we look forward to a very active summer of events, free programs and our newly-expanded Saturday FRESHFARM Market.”

“In 2015, the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs launched the Chinatown Park Series, an initiative that included fitness sessions and community events, in order to attract more visitors to the park and promote a healthy and fit lifestyle for DC residents,” said Director David Do. “This year, we are pleased to join forces with the DowntownDC BID and Mount Vernon Triangle CID to build upon our work and offer an even more robust schedule of events.”

Daily visitors will also have access to new, outdoor tables and chairs from the DowntownDC BID, creating the perfect setting for coffee and a book, a meal in the sunshine, an outdoor workspace or relaxation.

Program partners include Crunch Fitness, 5th Street Ace Hardware, Potomac River Running Store, Words Beats & Life, Inc., the National Park Service, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Chinese Community Church and DC Public Library.

All activities are free and will rotate daily from May through September. Full details will be available at downtowndc.org/events and mvtcid.org/events/events-calendar.

Chinatown Park and Milian Park, which are each National Park Service reservations, are located at the intersection of the MVT CID and DowntownDC BID at 5th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW.